A clean bong is a happy bong, but some times you just don’t have the time to spend all day scrubbing and cleaning a bowl. There has to be a better way to keep your pot bong squeaky clean without the hassle. 

There are a few quick ways to clean your bong parts at home:

• Purchasing a resin cleaner or any of the other smoking pipe cleaners,
• Using apple cider vinegar and baking soda for cleaning your bong,
• Making an alcohol vinegar cleaner,
• Boiling water in glass bongs,
• Using a combination of coarse salt and alcohol.

The method we will be focusing on in this guide is the alcohol and salt method, as we find it to be the most effective at the lowest cost. If you choose to clean bong with vinegar, it’s just as effective but make sure you use baking soda instead of salt.

Whatever cleaning method you choose, a bit of elbow grease goes a long way to increase your smoking experience.

Looking for a glass piece that'll inspire a regular cleaning process? The Panda Specialty Slab 18" 9mm beaker bong from Mav may be just what you're looking for.

 

Don't let your bong sit around covered in grime, especially when cleaning is so simple! @littlestheadshop

Best way to clean a pipe

How to clean glass bongs? There are many different ways to go about cleaning a pipe, but our preferred method is with alcohol and salt. This method is one of the least expensive options, involving items most people keep in their homes. We prefer this method for cleaning glass bongs bowls, but it can be useful for cleaning dab rig or a silicon bong. 

Other common ways to remove resin buildup involve using bona fide bong cleaners such as Kryptonite or Formula 420. You'll also find ways to clean with warm water, lemon juice and coarse salt, which is a great option for an all-natural cleaning method.

We don't recommend using dish soap, and we definitely don't recommend using carburetor cleaner, no matter how much resin buildup there is. There's just no way to be sure you rinsed the chemicals from something like that off of your beautiful bong before lighting it back up again!

Here’s what you’ll need for our favorite way to clean glass bong:

• Warm Water
• 70% Unscented Isopropyl Alcohol or higher (the higher the percentage the better; we recommend 90% isopropyl alcohol)
• Salt - the coarser the better!
• Cotton swab or something like a q-tip
• Hand Towels
• Small baggies, storage containers, or mason jars
• Bottlebrush or pipe cleaner (optional)

 

With the Jay and Silent Bob Percolator Beaker Ice Bong, the desire for smooth tokes will persuade you to never commit the sins of hitting from a dirty bong. Keep the resin build up clear and the bong water clean, and the smoke will rise from the beaker base, pass through the showerhead percolator and ice catch and cool every heavenly toke you take.

 

Supplies needed are minimal. You most likely already have them! @Green Rush All rights reserved.

How to clean a bong - step by step guide

Now let’s get into the details of how to clean a glass pipe quickly with alcohol. It's an easy and sure-fire way to get the grunge off of your favorite glass piece.

 

Step One: Empty the bong and take it apart

Before you can clean your bong, you’ll need to empty it of all its bong water and take it apart into individual pieces. You want your pipe to be completely disassembled so that you can thoroughly clean every inch of it. Those nooks and crannies where joints meet can really be a breeding ground for, well, let's just say build up of materials you really don't want to be inhaling.

 

Step Two: Rinse every piece of your bong with warm water

Running warm water over each part of your bong will help to dislodge all the loose surface resin, giving you a good starting point. You want to get the water as warm as possible without boiling. If you’re sensitive to the heat, dishwashing gloves can provide a safe barrier between your skin and the warm water. Obviously use common sense here and don't scald yourself with water that's too hot!

 

Step Three: Place each bong piece in its own container

Take all the loose pieces (except the bong base; that’ll be cleaned later) and place them in their own independent containers. Then, pour at least 1/4 cup of 70% (or higher) rubbing alcohol and at least one tablespoon of coarse salt in each container.
 
For the larger pieces that are in larger containers, we recommend using 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol and two tablespoons of salt. Don’t stress over the proportions; they don’t have to be exact. This cleaning solution of isopropyl alcohol and coarse salt gives you some real cleaning power, as you'll soon see!

 

Step Four: Shake the containers carefully

Seal the containers up and shake them carefully, but enough to get the mixture really moving inside. Be careful and ensure the container is safely sealed; these pieces are glass after all. This will help to move the salt/alcohol solution throughout the pieces of your bong, working to break up the marijuana residue built up inside. 
 
Let the small pieces soak for 10 to 15 minutes and then return to shake again. This will help reduce the time you’ll need to spend scrubbing with bong brushes. This will also make it much easier to figure out how to get resin out of a bowl quickly if you don’t have a bong brush or bong cleaners.

 

Step Five: Cleaning the bong base - pour salt in the bong base

Pour two to three tablespoons of salt (we recommend three) into the base of your bond. If you have a bigger bong, you may need to add up to four or five tablespoons; use your best judgment.
 
You want to put enough salt in the bong that some remains undissolved in the solution to increase the abrasiveness, helping to loosen the bong resin.

 

Step Six: Add alcohol to the bong base

Add at least 1/2 cup of 70% (or higher) rubbing alcohol into the base of your bong. Remember, if you have a larger bong, you may need more. Again, don’t stress over the exact ratio, relatively close is fine. 

 

Step Seven: Plug the holes of the bong base and shake

Using your hand towels, plug the holes in your bong base to keep the alcohol inside as you shake it up. You can also just use your hand, plastic wrap, or even cotton balls if the holes are small enough. Or, if you have them, you can use bong plugs.
 
Shake the bong vigorously to get the alcohol/salt solution throughout all areas of the bong base, continuing for over five minutes. Remember, every minute you spend doing this is a minute less you have to scrub with a brush.

 

Step Eight: Rinse everything thoroughly with warm water

Just as you did initially, you’re going to want to rinse everything with warm water, the hottest water you can stand. This will ensure you get all the salt and alcohol out of the bong. 
 
If some resin stains and/or water stains remain, as is often the case, break out the bong brush or some handy Q-tips to scrub it away. Once you’re done rinsing and scrubbing, rinse them again, then set them out to dry. 

Interested in some of the finest products to help simplify the bong cleaning process? Check out some of our favorites!

Bong Blaster Bong Cleaner Powder	Resölution Bong Cleaning and Transport Caps	Crud Bud Dual Tip Cotton Buds

 

Tips for the best way to clean a weed pipe

Now that you know how to clean a glass weed pipe, it’s time to give you some pro-tips to ease the process. 
 

• You can repeat this process, giving your pipe two thorough cleanings if you haven’t cleaned it in a while.
• Doing this monthly will make it easier to clean it in the future and prolong the life of your bong
• You can also boil vinegar to remove smoke odour
• Boiling alcohol is unnecessary
• Try to avoid inhaling rubbing alcohol
• Be careful to use only pipe cleaners, bong brushes, or Q-tips to scrub the resin off your piece so you can avoid tiny scratches from appearing on your cleaning glass bongs.
  
  

You'll be smiling when you have your reinvigorated glass. @sbbongcleaning

 

Conclusion

Now that you know how to clean a pipe with rubbing alcohol, you’re all set to properly maintain your bong in the cheapest and most effective way. As we said above, there are many ways to clean your bong, so if this method doesn’t work for you, don’t stop searching for the right one! This method can also work well on a silicone bong. Hopefully now you can see that, though you'll need more than a quick rinse with running water, bong cleaning certainly doesn't have to be a difficult or time consuming process, and it's well worth it when you see your beautiful bong friend shining bright once again!
 
If you’d like to know more, you can research the following topics: 
 

• Can I use hydrogen peroxide to clean my bong
• How to clean a pipe without alcohol
• How often should you clean your bong
• The best cleaner to use on your glass bong
• How to protect your bong from breaking

 
Cheers to clean bongs that make happy stoners!

 

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Written by Megan Medeiros (BA)

Megan Medeiros has a bachelor’s degree in English and is currently working on a master’s in English at James Madison University. She's the owner and operator of Medeiros Writing, and has been working as a cannabis writer for the past three years, mostly following the legal climate of marijuana, especially in areas like California, Colorado, Oregon, Canada, and other legal areas.

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